Ghost in His Shell
by Byakugan Girl
Summary: Sasuke's back, but he has no memory of anything that has happened, including Itachi, Orochimaru and his adventures with Team 7. With some careful healing, can Ino bring the old Sasuke back? InoSasu.
1. Homecoming

AN: My first real chapter fic! After realizing there are so few Ino/Sasu stories out there, I decided to write my own. Depending on how motivated I am, this story may be done in a week or in a year. I plan on having at least seven chapters, so keep the reviews coming and I'll keep writing!

Warning: Ino/Sasu, possible Saku/Lee and Naru/Hina in later chapters. Don't like it, don't review. Flames are given to Lee and Gai's Flames of YOUTH! Rated for angst and probable swearing.

* * *

The boy stumbled through the trees, tripping over tree roots in the oncoming darkness. He looked up at the darkening sky and squinted, trying to find out where he was. Blood covered most of his face and his legs were cut from stumbling through the underbrush. A deep wound dripped the crimson liquid down his side, the deep pain making his breaths come in short, quick gasps. His face was pale and his bare chest was covered in black and blue marks, the deep bruising covering most of his back as well. His legs were beginning to shake and he could tell they were about to give out any second. The strange mark on his neck throbbed dully, adding to his already pounding headache. He couldn't remember where he was or where he had been, but most importantly, he had no idea who he was. The dark black hair that hung in front of his eyes was unfamiliar to him, every line on his hands something new and alien. He had no idea how he had gotten so badly hurt, and that mark was bothering him more and more as the night wore on… 

He just wanted to sleep… Just for a moment so the pain would go away for just a short while… Maybe he would find something in the morning…

But there were dim lights through the trees now. Maybe they were from a city or at least a group of travelers who could direct him to one. He was completely lost in this seemingly endless forest, and all he could do was urge himself to keep walking in hopes that somehow, he'd find someone. If only he could remember something about where or who he was…

Voices could now be heard and the boy strained to hear what they were saying. There were three different voices, and it sounded as if one of them had wandered ahead and was coming closer and closer…

His knees buckled and he quickly sat down against a tree, his head pounding painfully. His battered form had decided it couldn't keep going, and that was really a shame, since he was so close to being rescued… or at least given directions…

His eyes began to close as he now combated exhaustion. He wasn't really sure how long he had been wandering around in this forest, but he knew it was a long time. It probably wouldn't be bad for him to just fall asleep and rest for a while…

At that moment, he saw the dim outline of a person and slowly looked up. A young woman with pale blonde hair and light blue eyes was looking down at him, an expression of shock on her face. He looked back at her, trying to figure out if he could expect her to attack him or help him out. She looked like she was probably a pretty strong girl and even possibly a ninja… But then again…

He looked at her, staring at her pale face in the oncoming twilight. She looked so familiar but he couldn't remember why. Those eyes were blue enough to drown in, like a lake on a clear summer's day…

"Sasuke?" she gasped.

"Who?" the boy asked, looking at her in confusion.

"Sasuke? You've come home?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about-"

She knelt in front of him, gently reaching out a hand to touch his face with long slim fingers. "Sasuke, it's me. Ino. Don't you remember?"

He stared at her blankly. "No."

The girl, Ino, turned around. "Shikamaru! Chouji! Come, quick!" She looked back at the wounded teenager. "Just hang on Sasuke, Shikamaru and Chouji are coming. We can get you back to the village!"

"Who are-" he was about to ask before the mark on his shoulder burned with white hot pain, forcing him to cry out, grabbing it and shaking with pain and exhaustion. The girl called Ino jumped forward, trying to help him.

"You'll be okay, I promise," she said, taking one of his hands in hers. The boy looked at her, coal black eyes glazed over with pain.

"Who are you?" he whispered hoarsely, still trembling. "You look… So familiar."

"I'm Ino!" she said desperately, squeezing his hand. "Yamanaka Ino! Don't you remember me, Sasuke? I was at the academy with you as a child! My best friend Sakura was on your squad! Now do you remember-"

"No…" he coughed, blood suddenly spilling from his mouth. The girl, Ino's, eyes widened in fear, watching in horror as his body started to give into exhaustion.

"Shikamaru! Chouji! Hurry!" she yelled into the trees. As his vision stared to go, he heard her whisper "You're home now. It'll be okay."

But where was home?

* * *

"Shikamaru! DAMN IT _RUN_!" 

Shikamaru sighed in annoyance as he and Chouji ran through the trees towards Ino's desperate yells. He rolled his eyes, wondering dimly what the girl had gotten herself into this time. It was just so troublesome, her trying to get them to be her virtual slaves… Who made her the boss anyway?

"What do you think is wrong with Ino?" Chouji said as he struggled to keep up with his swifter teammate.

"I don't know," Shikamaru sighed, sounding bored and sloth-like as usual. "She probably just wants us to go on ahead so if we get ambushed, we'll be the first to go…" That made Chouji laugh.

As the two boys came upon their teammate, both gasped. Ino was helping support a barely conscious Sasuke, who was covered in blood and bruises. Ino had quite a bit of blood on herself as well. .

"Holy Crap!" Chouji said loudly.

"That's Sasuke!" Shikamaru said, sounding shocked.

"Help me carry him," Ino said, carefully lifting the boy into her arms. Shikamaru helped her pull him onto her back, trying not to move any of his injuries too much. Sasuke stirred slightly, the cruse seal giving out another painful throb. Chouji looked at him, frowning.

"He doesn't look so good, Ino," he said.

"Of course not, bonehead, we need to get him to a doctor!" she said sharply as the wounded teen let out a groan of pain. "Let's get back to Asuma-sensei, he can help us." They ran off through the trees, Ino running slightly ahead of her teammates. Hang on just a little longer, Sasuke, she thought, feeling his thin form shuddering with pain against her. We're going to get you help…

As they exited the forest, Ino nearly crashed into Asuma. "Hey, Ino, slow down!" he said, looking at her. His eyes widened and his cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth with shock as he saw Sasuke's limp form. "Is that-"

"We need to get him to the Hokage," she said as the boy let out a whimper of pain. "He's hurt really bad, Asuma-sensei, and he doesn't remember anything!"

"Calm down! He'll be okay! Here, I'll take him to the hospital," the jounin said, quickly grabbing the boy in his arms. Shikamaru and Chouji caught up to Ino just as Asuma gathered his chakra and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shikamaru looked at Ino.

"He'll be fine," he said, noticing her worried expression. "Whatever he's been through, Tsunade-sama is capable of making sure he's well cared for."

"I know Shikamaru," she said, for once without her usual bite in her voice. "I know."

* * *

AN: So there you have it. 

Next chapter: Sakura and Naruto find out about Sasuke's return...


	2. Coming Back from the Dead

AN: Chapter Two! Naruto and Sakura experience some bonding over their fallen friend. Read and review please!

_

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"Ah, Naruto, since I am so old now, I think the title of Hokage should be given to you, since you are the most powerful shinobi in Konoha!" Tsunade said, placing the Third Hokage's hat on his head. The audience of ninjas cheered loudly and he gave them all the thumbs up, grinning widely. He could see Hinata smiling at him in the crowd and Iruka and Shizune cheering along with the rest of the ninjas._

_"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," he said, smiling even wider as even Kakashi began to applaud. "And as my first act as Hokage, I'd like to-" _

"Naruto! Naruto!"

Someone was shaking him awake. The kyuubi teen kicked out with his feet, curling deeper into his pillows. He didn't want the dream to end! He was about to make his first proclamation as Hokage!

"Go away," he mumbled, voice still groggy from sleep. "Wake me up in the morning, for crying out loud! I'm about to be Hokage-"

"Naruto! Get up, you idiot!" Sakura yelled, ripping the blankets off the still semi-conscious teen who yelped in protest, missing the warmth of his blankets. "It's me! Sakura!"

"Sakura?" he said, sitting up quickly and rubbing his eyes tiredly, blinking at his teammate and friend. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

"Naruto, it's Sasuke!"

"What?"

"He's back! Ino found him in the forest!" She said excitedly, forcibly dragging the bewildered boy out of bed. "Get dressed! Tsunade-sama said we can go see him!"

Naruto looked at his alarm clock and his blue eyes widened. "Sakura, it's five in the morning!" he groaned. "Is the hospital even open this early?"

"It's open for me!" she said, smiling, green eyes flashing excitedly. "And do you want to see Sasuke or not?"

"I do, I do," he said quickly. "Now get out, I need to get dressed." He shooed her out of the room and closed the door. Sakura sat down in front of it, waiting impatiently for him to get dressed. "Did you talk to Ino about it?" she heard the blonde teen ask.

"No," she said. "But Tsunade made it sound like it was pretty serious." They were silent. Then, Sakura said "Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Lee will be mad at me?" she asked.

"No. Why?"

"Well, I love Sasuke, but I love Lee too…" she said softly, looking at her hands. "I just don't want to have to go back to the whole… you know."

Naruto opened the door, pulling on his jacket and helped Sakura to her feet. "It'll be fine, Sakura," he said, smiling. And just for good measure- "Believe it."

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks Naruto. Now, let's go see Sasuke!"

---

"Sakura, Naruto," Shizune said as the two teenagers walked in, Sakura holding a bouquet of a variety of deep red and purple flowers. Naruto rubbed his eyes, still tired. "Thanks for coming. We hoped you'd be here."

"It's no problem, Shizune-san," Sakura said, smiling brightly. "May we see Sasuke now, please?"

The woman nodded, but stared at them solemnly. "But before you see him, can I talk to you two, please?"

"Sure, Shizune-san!" Naruto yawned. "What's wrong?"

"When Asuma brought him to us, he said Ino claimed he was talking incoherently, like he didn't remember who he was or where he was, or who Ino was apparently." She noticed the scared look on the pink haired girl's face. "It might just be head trauma, but sometimes the mind tries to suppress things it wants to forget. He could have been through some very terrible things with Orochimaru, which could explain his injuries as well. If you two could try to remind him of who he is and such, we'd appreciate it."

"Sure, Shizune-san," Naruto said, trying to reassure her.

"May we see him now?" Sakura said quietly.

She nodded, opening the door to the closed ward. "Just be very quiet. He's probably asleep." The teenagers nodded and entered the room.

Sasuke lay motionless on the hospital bed, his face partially covered with an oxygen mask. A machine measuring his heart rate beeped quietly in the corner, assuring them the boy on the bed was very much alive. IVs were hooked up to his arm and bandages covered most of his chest under the hospital gown. The curse seal on his neck stood out prominently against his too-pale skin. He looked older, and somehow thinner and very ill. But still very handsome, his black hair perfectly contrasting his paper white skin. Sakura gently placed the flowers in a vase near his bed and gently took his hand in hers, slowly stroking it with her thumb.

"Hi Sasuke," she said quietly. "It's Sakura. I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you so much… Did you know I'm not as pathetic as I used to be back before you left? I'm a much better Kunoichi now. I'm actually a chuunin. Aren't you proud? I can almost kick Naruto's butt every time at sparring now."

"Hey!" Naruto said, offended. "You do not!"

"Sh!" Shizune said quietly, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "Quiet. He needs rest."

"Sorry," Naruto said, smiling sheepishly. He looked back at his fallen teammate, realizing this was the first time in three years he had seen his best friend, his brother. "Hey Sasuke," he said, smiling slightly. "Been a while, eh bro? So much has happened… since you left."

Sasuke let out a tired sigh, his eyelids fluttering. Naruto and Sakura exchanged a hopeful glance. Was he waking up…?

But his eyes didn't open. Shizune excused herself after a few minutes, telling them to call if he awoke. They sat there for a long time, Naruto and Sakura both talking on and off about things he had missed out on while he was gone. The more they talked about it, the more they realized how much like a family their squad had become in the years they had spent together.

Finally, at about noon, they gave up on topics. They just sat around and watched the unconscious teen as his chest rose and fell, the machine in the corner beeping with every breath. The hospital room was warm and Naruto felt himself beginning to fall asleep. Sakura had taken out a scroll and begun filling out a report about a past mission she had meant to finish the night before. Naruto had just dozed off when Sasuke's coal black eyes suddenly snapped open.

Sakura jumped, looking up. "Naruto! Wake up!" She nudged him awake.

"Huh?" he yelped, looking around and blinking. "Wha- Sasuke!"

The pale teen stared at them, the oxygen mask fogging up as he breathed in and out. Sakura looked at him and asked if she could take it off. He nodded. She helped him pull it off and sat back down again, looking at him with a smile on her face.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him. He stared at her blankly, then looked over at Naruto. His face was completely blank, no emotion registering on his pale features.

"Who's Sasuke?" he asked. "Where's the other girl?"

"What other girl?" Sakura asked gently, her medic training reminding her to keep her tone low and comforting in case he got upset.

"She was blonde…" he said, thinking hard. "She said… She said her name was-"

"Ino?" Naruto offered helpfully.

"Yeah… Who's Sasuke? She called me that too…"

"You're Sasuke," Naruto said, looking confused. "I'm Naruto and she's Sakura. What's wrong with you, bro?"

"Shut up, Naruto, let me handle this," Sakura said sharply. She turned back to Sasuke. "If you're not Sasuke, what's your name?"

"I don't know," he said, sounding tired and ill. He looked at his hands. He couldn't remember his own hands. He looked over at Sakura. "Why do you two look familiar, Sakura?"

"We're your friends," she said comfortingly. "We were on the same team. I used to… I used to…"

"You're like our brother," Naruto said quickly as Sakura looked at the floor. "We practically grew up together."

Sasuke looked at him blankly. "Brother? But…" He drifted off into thought, his hand moving over his shoulder to touch the curse seal. Naruto and Sakura watched, not saying a word. He finally looked back at them. "Where am I?" he asked weakly.

"You're in the hospital in Konoha," Sakura said. "Ino found you outside of the city. Do you remember anything about what happened?"

He shook his head, his eyelids rapidly closing. "I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more."

"That's all right," she said, gently patting his hand. "Get some rest. Can we talk to you again later?"

"All right," he said hoarsely, already sounding like he was about to fall asleep. They watched as he fell back into the depths of sleep and Sakura gently placed the oxygen mask back over his face.

"He really doesn't remember anything then," Naruto said dully, sounding a little shocked.

"No. I guess not," Sakura said softly, gently brushing a strand of ebony hair back from his forehead, emerald eyes fogged over with sadness.

"He will get better, right Sakura?" Naruto said, looking to his friend for comfort.

"Maybe. Maybe not," she said. "Naruto, when someone gets this confused about themselves, it means they may have serious brain damage. Sasuke may never get better. Until we can get more information, we won't know."

Naruto looked at the floor, taking all of this in. He looked back up at Sasuke, then looked at Sakura. "We should probably tell Shizune-san about him waking up, right?"

"Right." She got up and kissed Sasuke gently on the forehead. "Sleep well, Sasuke."

Naruto looked at him as they left the room. "Get better soon, okay? For all our sakes."

* * *

AN: I didn't realize I was going to play up the brother/sister Naru/Saku type relationship so much... Everyone like? There are muffins for anyone who reviews! 

Chapter Three: Who's Sasuke, Ino?- Coming Soon...


	3. Ino, Who's Sasuke?

AN: Yay! This story actually got reviews! I didn't expect many people to support the pairings listed in here.

Anyway, I just wanted to note that since I don't really care for Sakura's character in the manga/anime and such, she will probably begin to develop the personality of my OC character Midori. So if Sakura is a little OOC in this and later chapters, that's why. I apologize in advance.

* * *

Ino awoke the next morning and quickly rushed out of the house, grabbing her backpack and saying a quick goodbye to her mother and father. She had barely been able to sleep the night before, as eager as she was to see Sasuke again. It was nearly unbelievable that he was home now. If it had been all a dream… She shook her head. It had not been a dream. Her father had said Asuma-sensei had dropped by earlier that morning to say Sasuke's condition was stable, although he was clearly a little messed up in the head. The Hokage herself had made sure the boy had had the best of care.

She stopped quickly at her parent's store, grabbing a bouquet of flowers, slapping her allowance money on the table and sped out of the store towards the hospital. She slowed down as she approached and it was only then she noticed the flowers she had grabbed without even looking at them.

Purple Trousers and the Cosmos…

She smiled slightly, remembering a much happier day were the sunshine didn't feel fake on her skin and she didn't need to dance carefully around the topic of Sasuke Uchiha, since he wasn't a topic at all. For the past three years, they had all tried to avoid speaking of him. It was an unspoken rule. Especially not around Sakura, who was still feeling guilty for dating Lee a few months after Sasuke left. They had all been forced to push their thoughts aside, trying not to think of the missing Uchiha. But now he was back, maybe things could go back to the way they had been, before Orochimaru, before the Sound Five, and before that final fight where he had nearly killed Naruto…

Ino sighed, pushing these thoughts away one last time and entered the hospital. As she walked down the hallway to the closed ward of the hospital, she heard people whispering in the corners about the return of the young Uchiha. Ino smiled to herself, already looking forward to seeing the look on Sakura's face when she saw her next.

Speaking of whom, as she approached the hospital room, who else but Sakura and Lee stepped out. Shizune followed them out. All three looked a little sad, and Sakura grasped Lee's hand tightly in her own. They were all talking quietly as Ino approached.

"He wasn't awake, but I guess that's to be expected," Sakura said, squeezing Lee's hand.

"Don't be sad, Sakura-chan," Lee said, squeezing her hand back. "He's been through a lot, but Sasuke always pulls through." Sakura smiled gratefully at him and then noticed Ino.

"Hey Billboard Brow," Ino said in a mock-nasty way. Sakura grinned.

"Ino, you porker, what are you doing here?" she shot back, still grinning at her best friend. They laughed gently, but suddenly Sakura became serious. "Thank you, Ino-chan. For bringing him home."

"No problem, Sakura-chan," She said, smiling. The one good thing about Sasuke leaving was they were finally able to make peace with their broken friendship. They had once again become good friends, and Ino was glad she no longer felt like they had to constantly fight. Things had changed so much since... Sakura smiled and suddenly noticed the flowers, her green eyes widening.

"Those are-"

"I know," Ino said, jolted out of her thoughts and smiled down at them. "I didn't realize I had grabbed them until I left the house. You know, I think I'm just like a cosmos!" They laughed again and talked for a while, both remembering that day of so many years ago, but then Lee and Sakura had to say goodbye and left. Shizune also took her leave and Ino entered Sasuke's room alone. She looked briefly at the sleeping teen and went to the bedside table. She took a small vase from her backpack, filled it with water and gently arranged the flowers inside. She looked fondly at their soft petals, a sad expression on her pale face.

"I've loved purple trousers with the cosmos ever since I was little…" Ino whispered softly, stroking the flowers with a slim finger. "They contrast each other so perfectly… Did you know Sakura and I became friends over a conversation about purple trousers and cosmos?"

"I didn't know that."

Ino jumped, spinning around. Sasuke stared at her with a politely curious expression in his eyes, his ashen face void of cynicism or scorn. He looked almost like he was happy to see her. Ino stared back, blinking in surprise. The Sasuke of a few years ago would never have looked at her like that-

"You're awake!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you Ino," he said, his eyes not leaving her face as she sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Don't worry about it," she said, smiling. "I just didn't think you'd be awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," he murmured. He kept looking at her, still with the expression of polite curiosity on his face.

"I heard Naruto and Sakura visited you," Ino said, trying to make conversation. "They're so happy to see you. They missed you a lot."

"I know. Or, that's what they said."

"And Sakura came back with Lee this morning. Naruto couldn't make it because he's training with Jiraiya and Kakashi."

"Who's Lee?" he asked.

"Sakura's-" she hesitated before she said it. "Boyfriend."

"Oh." There was silence. Sasuke kept looking at Ino, a puzzled expression on his face. Ino stared back, wondering what was wrong with him.

"Ino?"

"Yes?"

"Who's Sasuke?"

The question almost winded her. Who was Sasuke? She looked at the injured boy on the bed, wondering how the hell she was supposed to respond to _that_ one. Sasuke was perfect, he was talented, he was clever, cunning, brave… A prodigy in his own right. Easily the best genin of her year. But he was also an Avenger, a renegade and a traitor to Konoha and his friends. He was the love of her life, but he was also a selfish bastard. She gulped, looking at the floor, then back at the boy.

"Sasuke was… An Avenger," she said, trying to be as honest without being cruel. She didn't want Sasuke to think she thought badly of him, memories or no. "He was one of the most talented genin in Konoha."

"What happened to him?" Sasuke asked. Ino looked at him, then looked quickly away.

"He left three years ago. We haven't seen him since."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Ino was quiet. Sasuke looked at her, not speaking. He gently reached out and reached out with a bandaged hand to touch a strand of Ino's white blond hair. The girl looked up, tears in her blue eyes. You could fall into those eyes. The boy's heart ached to see her cry.

"You loved him?"

"We all did," she whispered, looking back down at her clenched hands. Sasuke was quiet.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's fine," Ino said, running a hand over her wet eyes. "Really." They were quiet again and Sasuke looked at Ino, as though thinking about something.

"Did Sasuke ever fight with Naruto?"

"Constantly," Ino scoffed. "They fought like siblings. Why?"

He didn't answer. Very vague ideas were beginning to float into his head and somehow he _knew_ Sasuke had almost killed Naruto, not too long ago. But before this idea could take much shape, he realized was actually getting tired again. The medication the medics had him on were pretty strong for a teenager's system. He looked back at Ino.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" he asked. "I want to hear more about this guy."

Ino smiled, still feeling a little saddened. "Of course."

* * *

AN: Did you like it? Hate it? Have some ideas for me? Reviews are alwaysappreciated!

Next Chapter: Naruto and Ino try to get Sasuke to remember at least a little of his past...


	4. A Trip Around Konoha

AN: Yay! Chapter Four! Sorry it took me a while, but I've been very busy with my high school's Theatre Arts musical. But now I'm back and I can hopefully be writing more. So, enjoy!

* * *

Naruto slowly pushed himself out of bed, falling to the floor from the bed. He yawned and slowly got to his feet, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It had been a week since Ino had found Sasuke outside the city, bleeding and confused. Though his injuries had healed, he was still completely confused about who he was. It was so odd to see him like that, smling and politely attentive rather then stoic and cynical. Naruto almost missed being called a loser.

As he stumbled to the kitchen to make his breakfast cup of Ramen, there was a knock at the door. Naruto walked over and pulled the door open. Hinata stood outside, smiling at Naruto.

"Good Morning, Naruto-Kun," she said, smiling.

"Hi Hinata-chan," he said, smiling back. "Why are you here so early?"

"Um..." She said, smiling shyly and looking at the floor. Despite the fact that they had been dating for a year, she still seemed to be incredibly shy around him when they first began talking. But he loved her for it and her shy behavior didn't bother him. "In-Ino-chan wanted you to come to the hospital as soon as you can, N-Naruto, if that's okay."

"Sure!" Naruto said, feeling a little more awake now. "I've just gotta eat breakfast. You want some?"

She smiled shyly, turning a little red. "Oh-Okay."

* * *

Ino looked up as Naruto and Hinata walked towards her. The dark haired girl was holding his hand, looking rather contented with the world. Ino smiled, remembering for what felt like the millionth time about happier days when they were all younger. Maybe not innocent, but younger. It had taken nearly a brick to the head to make Naruto go out with Hinata, with Sakura and Kiba egging them on from the side. It had been kind of funny actually-

"Hey Ino!" Naruto said, breaking her out of her memories. "What's up?"

"Hi Naruto," she said. "Thanks for coming. And thanks for getting him so quickly, Hinata."

"N-No problem," she said blushing as Naruto squeezed her hand.

"Shizune said we should try and get Sasuke up and around a bit. Y'Know, to show him around Konoha. It might help him remember something. Any ideas where we should go?"

"Kakashi-sensei's training grounds?" Naruto suggested. "Maybe the Academy?" His eyes suddenly lit up. "Or-"

"Not Ichikaru's, Naruto," Ino said sharply. The two girls laughed as Naruto looked dejectedly at the floor. As the girls again became serious, Hinata said:

"What about the Uchiha Complex?"

Ino froze, thinking about that. If anything would bring back his memories, that would. They could have the old Sasuke back _today_, without the weeks of slow recovery that would follow in his current state… If his mind ever healed at all. But the selfish part of Ino didn't want Sasuke to get better faster. He was being friendly and open with her and Shizune even said he asked for her when she came in to check on him. She didn't want that to end.

Another problem was his growing confusion. People kept calling him Sasuke and trying to force him to remember things. It was hurting him, by the way he tried to hard to understand. The emotional pain, not to mention the nearly constant pain of the curse mark, made the teen more then a little unstable. The shock of seeing the Uchiha Complex could unleash his memories and hurt his mind even more.

"Ino?"

She smiled, looking back at them. "Actually, why don't we just stick to the training spot and the Academy. And maybe we _could_ go to Ichikaru's for lunch or something."

Naruto's face lit up. "YAHOO!" He ran into Sasuke's room. "Come on Sasuke, let's go!"

* * *

"So, do you like your ramen, Sasuke?" Naruto asked between mouthfuls of noodles. The dark haired boy smiled slightly, eating his lunch much slower then the hyper active blonde.

"It's good," he said, watching Naruto. "Thanks for taking me around your village. It was very interesting. You're lucky to live here."

Ino and Hinata shared a glance. They had been talking about things he should have remembered, but he had only politely listened to everything they had said. Now it seemed as if he hadn't remembered anything at all. Hinata smiled and shrugged apologetically. Ino sighed and looked down at her bowl of noodles.

They had taken him to the Training Grounds, the Academy, even to the Hyuuga Complex, hoping that one of them would jog his memorys back, even if just a little bit. But nothing had. He had just listened as they told him about Kakashi and how he was always late for training and how in the Academy Ino and Sakura used to compete for everything. They had even run into Shino and Kiba and introduced them to Sasuke. Though Kiba greeted him amiably, Sasuke was just very polite as usual. Ino wondered how long this was going to go on for. If nothing was going to make him remember, what would they do?

"Are you okay, Ino-chan?" Sasuke asked suddenly, looking worried. Ino blinked and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, fine," she said, smiling.

"Aw, crap!" Naruto suddenly yelled. "I've got training with Jiraiya in, like, ten minutes! Sorry, I gotta go!"

Inhaling the rest of his noodles at a speed no one knew was even humanly possible, he ran off. Hinata set aside her bowl and said quietly "I should leave too. My father wanted me to come back before dinner. Thanks for inviting me. It was fun."

As she departed, Ino set aside her bowl as well. She could tell Sasuke was watching her, but as she turned around, he immediately looked back at his bowl. Ino smiled slightly.

"So do you want to head back to the hospital?" she asked.

He shrugged. "If you don't want to show me anywhere else."

Ino had an idea. "There is one more place…"

* * *

"Isn't it great?" Ino asked as they climbed up onto the rooftop of her parent's flower shop. "When I was younger, I'd come up here and watch the city. It's not the highest building, but you can see a lot."

"It's wonderful," Sasuke said, staring out at the city.

They were quiet, watching the people go by on the streets. Finally, Sasuke spoke.

"Ino, thank you for today. It was fun to get out of the hospital."

"No problem," Ino said brightly, still watching the streets.

They were quiet again. Behind Ino's smile, emotions rolled over her in a horrifying torrent. She couldn't think straight. There were too many things to consider about trying to heal Sasuke's mind. And again, the selfish part of Ino screamed to keep Sasuke this way so she could keep spending time with him. The old Sasuke would have never-

Sasuke gave a startled cry of pain and grabbed his neck, shaking violently. Ino jumped, worried for the boy.

"Sasuke-"

"It's that mark again," he hissed through clenched teeth. "It hurts…"

Ino pulled his hand away and looked at the mark. It hadn't begun to spread, which made her feel very relieved. If it had taken over, in his state-

He was shaking. Ino felt his thin form trembling under her hand. The girl wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know exactly how to do it. Finally, she gently put her arms around him and pulled him into a gentle hug. It wasn't like her usual way to hug the boy, as she usually just tackled him and squeezed him as hard as she could, hoping he would never leave her arms. It was more caring and gentle and she even felt him lean into the hug, as if he didn't want her to get off. She slowly let go.

"You okay?" she whispered. He nodded.

"Thanks." They were quiet again. "It's been hurting on and off since I can remember. Do you know what it is?"

"Yes."

He looked at her and suddenly their faces were so close that their foreheads nearly touched. She could feel her own body trembling, realizing she was so close to him now. Sasuke's coal black eyes were connected with her deep blue orbs and they slowly seemed to close the gap between them. Their mouths were so close to-

"Ino!"

They sprang apart and Ino quickly looked over the edge of the roof. Shikamaru and Chouji stood under the building, looking up at them.

"Oh, hi Shikamaru!" Ino said hastily, trying to sound casual. "What's up?"

"Shizune's looking for you," he said.

"Oh, okay!"

They quickly climbed off the roof and headed back to the hospital.

* * *

AN: Sorry the ending was a little abrupt. I hope you liked the update!

Next Chapter: Sasuke is released from the hospital into the care of the Yamanakas...


	5. Dreams

**AN:** Sorry this took so long to come out. I've been busy with life and stuff lately... But here it is and the next chapter can be expected semi-soon. The more reviews I get, the faster it will come out. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Ino threw herself down onto her bed with a tired sigh. She closed her eyes, a happy smile on her face. Sasuke had been released from the hospital and into her care and now he was going to be living at her home until she could get him to remember his past. Initially, Shizune and Tsunade had considered Naruto or Kakashi to keep and eye on him, but he had requested Ino. This was probably for the best, considering he would be living off ramen and spoiled milk at Naruto's, and he would be by himself a lot if he had stayed with Kakashi, as the jounin was busy with missions and training. So now Ino had an extra bed in her room and a new roommate. She smiled again, feeling rather pleased with herself.

The door to the room opened and Sasuke stepped in, wearing a pair of pajamas he had borrowed from Naruto. Unsurprisingly, the shirt and pants were the loudest shade of orange Ino had ever seen in her life, and she imagined they would probably glow in the dark. Ino sat up and grinned. Her mother had initially been a little cautious about letting the teens share a room, but Inoshi had told her not to worry: they were both good kids and they wouldn't get into any trouble. Her mother had eventually given in and even taken a liking to the Uchiha, as he seemed to appreciate her cooking much more then her husband or daughter.

"If you need anything, wake me up," Ino said, yawning and getting under the covers as Sasuke did the same. The dark haired boy nodded, watching quietly as Ino rolled over, her face hidden from him by her pillow.

"Thanks Ino," he said quietly.

"No problem," she said with another yawn. "Night Sasuke."

"Night."

But he didn't fall asleep. He didn't want to slip over into the dream world his confused mind had created for him. They had been plaguing his sleep and they scared him. Besides, you could never control what happened in dreams or when you would give in to-

* * *

"Come son, come to dinner," a man's voice said. Sasuke opened his eyes. He was at a long table with hundreds of people. They were all staring at him with wide smiles on their faces, steaming bowls of… something in front of them. They were all pale with dark hair and eyes, just like his own. The man who had spoken looked very familiar, almost as if-

Oh. This was his family. But there was an empty seat next to him. A woman- his mother- suddenly noticed and said:

"Where is our oldest son?" She turned her back and yelled "Itachi, darling, come to dinner!"

A door slammed open behind Sasuke and a shadowy figure stepped out, holding their hands out in front of them. His hands were covered in red blood.

"But I've been preparing my feast," he whispered in a hoarse voice. He suddenly looked up and Sasuke locked eyes with him. The other boy's eyes were as red as the blood on his hands and had three extra pupils. Sasuke gasped, icy fear flooding him. He couldn't move. A thud behind him made him jump and he spun around. He gasped. Everyone at the table lay face down in their soup bowls, the contents splattered on the table. It was the same color as the boy's eyes. Panting with fear, he looked down at his own bowl and saw the boy's eyes looking back at him.

"Fear me," the boy's voice said. "Fear me, and grow strong in hate."

Sasuke spun around to see that the boy had changed into a tall man with long black hair. He ran his tongue over his lips hungrily. His eyes had slitted pupils.

"Join me in the quest for power!" his voice hissed and suddenly the back of the boy's neck exploded with white hot pain and he collapsed, grabbing the back of his neck and screaming in pain. Suddenly it faded and he could feel himself being carried away somewhere in a basket of sorts. He wanted to get out. It was dark and he couldn't move much. The claustrophobia was getting to him and he tried to see through the dark, trying to find a way to get out. There was a hissing, slithering noise and something moved across Sasuke's foot. He yelled, startled and tried to back away. A large snake suddenly reared up in front of him and hissed, baring its fangs.

Suddenly he was toppling out of the basket and fell to the floor. The snake was gone. He stood up, gasping for breath. Suddenly, someone lashed out and hit him in the face, sending him flying backwards. He crumpled to the floor and slowly pushed himself up again. He looked up, confused.

"Naruto?"

The blonde boy was panting hard, his eyes red and slitted, an evil looking red aura surrounding his thin form. The whisker-like marks on his face were dark black now and his incisors were elongated and fang like. He looked like some kind of- Oh. Ino had said he was a fox demon, come to think of it.

"Brother, why are you still fighting me?" the blonde rasped, gasping for breath. Tears were in the corners of his red eyes. "Please come home. Sakura asked me to bring you back. We miss you."

Suddenly, Sasuke felt himself move towards Naruto, his arms lashing out, fists smashing into Naruto's body. He couldn't control himself, horrified as he watched the blonde teen yell out in pain as he felt bones break under his fingers. He let out a yelp of pain as Sasuke's fist slammed into his nose, breaking the cartilage as blood spurted from it. Just as fast as it had started, Sasuke stopped, panting. He slowly opened his eyes.

Naruto lay motionless on the ground. He had killed him.

Sasuke gasped. He couldn't have. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground above Naruto, looking down at the boy. His eyes were wide and staring, back to his normal blue color. It began to rain. It was impossible, he couldn't have… Blood was smeared on Naruto's face. Gasping in fear and horror at what he had done, he staggered over to the lake and looked into the water's surface. Even as he felt the rain coming down on him, he could still somehow see his reflection perfectly, a scared pale faced little boy with blood and dirt on his face.

But even as he watched, the image shifted to that of the red eyed boy, the murderer, whose hands had been covered in blood. It changed again, so now the smiling snake man with the slitted eyes was staring at him. It changed back to the teen, then the boy, then the man. The images began to change faster and faster until they were just a blur.

And Sasuke couldn't tell the difference.

He screamed.

* * *

Sasuke's screams woke up Ino, who looked around and quickly ran to his side, leaping onto his bed and pulling him into a hug. The boy was looking straight ahead, his black eyes wide and bloodshot, the screams ripping from his throat in a high-pitched cry of terror.

"Sasuke," she said gently, hugging him gently. She pulled him closer as he began to sob bitterly, turning his head so he could cry into her shoulder. The door opened and light streamed in as Ino's parent's entered, looking worried.

"Ino, is everything okay?" Inoshi asked. "Is he okay?"

"It was a nightmare, Dad," she said, gently holding Sasuke in her arms as he buried his face into her shoulder, almost as if he was much younger then he really was. "Just a nightmare."

He nodded. "Do you need any help?" She shook her head and her parents left, closing the door behind them. Ino rubbed his back comfortably, trying to get him to calm down and tell her what happened. His sobs were getting quieter as he clung to the girl's shirt.

"You okay?" she whispered gently.

"N-Nightmare," he choked, breath coming in hitching sobs. "I-I'm fine. Promise." He sat up, letting her break her hold. He wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve. Ino watched him, waiting for him to say more. "Sasuke almost killed Naruto."

It wasn't a question. Ino nodded.

"Yeah, he did," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm okay. _He's_ okay." She grinned and said fondly. "It'll take more then that to kill that idiot."

Sasuke grinned shakily back. "I'm sorry I woke you up. It was stupid."

"It's fine. What I'm here for, right?" she chuckled and yawned. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Ino."

Sasuke didn't want to fall back to sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

The mark on his neck was starting to hurt.

* * *

**AN**: Comments? Questions? Concerns? Review please!

Next chapter: You're hiding something from me, aren't you?


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